


Sam and Steve's Ultimate Playlist

by Psyduck



Series: Sam and Steve's Ultimate Playlist [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Music, Star Wars References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-05-06 06:15:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5406113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psyduck/pseuds/Psyduck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve's got a lot of catching up to do and, with a whole week stuck in a hospital, plenty of time to do it.</p><p>First thing's first: figuring out the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully the first of many fics about Sam catching Steve up with the real world. Let me know what you think!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve's got a lot of catching up to do and, with a whole week stuck in a hospital, plenty of time to do it.
> 
> First thing's first: figuring out the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars

Chapter 1: The "Star" Question

Natasha sprinted down the hallway as fast as she could. She’d already ditched her suit and heels in the car, opting for the infinitely more practical jeans and boots she preferred. Although she wasn’t surprised the Senate inquiry went long(they always did, especially when it involved “Superhero” business), she still felt bad she was late. Driving always took longer when she put on auto pilot, but it was a necessity if she didn’t want to spend the rest of her day in that ridiculous getup Maria helped her pick out. She said it made her “more professional” and “less dangerous.” “Slowing you down is probably good. It will make you look less assassin-y.” A wise choice no doubt, given the firestorm surrounding her most recent mission: dumping all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s files on the internet. Not that she couldn’t take down half of the Senate with high heels and a suit jacket, but they didn’t need to know that.

She slowed down at the vending machine, stopping only long enough to buy two packs of microwave popcorn, before rounding the corner. She only started to walk when she saw the armed guards in the hallway outside of Steve’s room. Tony had them brought in the second he heard what had happened. She had to hand it to him; for all the bickering that took place between the two, he always came through for Steve in the clutch.

“ID please?”

Natasha rolled her eyes, “Seriously boys? I’ve been here every day this week. You really think this is necessary?”

The other guard shook his head. “Sorry ma’am, Mr. Stark made it clear that everyone entering Mr. Rogers’s room was to be…”

“Yeah yeah okay whatever,” she sighed, flicking her ID badge at the first guard.

“Your ha-”

“Yup,” instinctively placing her hand on the pad next to the door. It felt hot against her skin as it verified her identity. The machine made a cheerful ping as Jarvis’s familiar voice piped from the unit.

“Good afternoon Ms. Romanov. It appears you're late.”

She rolled her eyes as the guard handed her her driver’s license. It felt odd to use that instead of her SHIELD badge but, well, times change. She placed the card back in her wallet and, after taking a deep breath, opened the door.

Sam chuckled as Natasha walked into the room. "Figured you'd be late. Don't worry, we haven't started yet. We got quite a kick outta seeing you on C-SPAN, though. You write that speech down before hand, or did you make it up as you went along"

Natasha smirked, “You might not know this Mr. Wilson, but I’m quite the improviser. Saved my ass more times then I can count. Remind me to tell you about Budapest.”

In addition to the security out front, Tony had gone to great lengths to make the room feel like home, or at least however “home-y” one could feel in a sterile recovery ward. Steve’s desire to keep close to the action on Capitol Hill coupled with his refusal to recover at Stark tower meant all of Tony’s bells and whistles had come to him instead. He’d already installed a couch, two chairs, a microwave, a big screen TV, and several gaming systems, none of which Steve knew how to turn on, let alone play. He let them stay, though. Sam seemed to enjoy showing him the finer intricacies of FIFA when he wasn’t running his sessions with the vets downstairs. Besides, the more time Sam spent with Steve in the hospital, the less time Steve was left to think about Bucky. It was a win-win all around.

"And sorry about the delay. Turns out the Honorable Senator from Wisconsin likes to hear himself talk," Natasha took off her leather jacket and flung it at the hat rack near the door.

"Ha, which one of them doesn't," Steve chuckled weakly, wincing as his grin stretched the stitches on his face. He was healing faster than most, the nurse told him as much, but he'd still be in the hospital for a few more days. Bucky's metal arm, coupled with the four slugs he took in the melee, packed quite the punch. Still, the downtime was good for something. After two and a half years of barely standing still, let alone sleeping, he could finally get to work on his never ending game of catch up with the world.

At times the process was hard. Movies with lots of nudity and swearing always made Steve wince, no matter how much teasing he got from Nat and Sam. War movies were also rough. Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List would not be happening anytime soon. Steve still couldn’t bring himself to watch the Howling Commandos films, despite their position as cultural touchstones. Besides, after the Triskelion, any mention of anything remotely relating to Bucky made him get very quiet. The movies that came out right after Cap went down were off limits too; Bucky and him had spent too many days in theaters as kids and every film starring Clark Gable or Cary Grant was enough to shut him down. They ended up sticking with mostly fun movies, especially ones that could make Steve laugh. It hurt his ribs to laugh too hard, but it sure beat watching him stare out the window into the street below, searching for a face he knew had to be close.

Steve also loved Sci-fi. He’d always had a thing for Flash Gordon, so space movies were always a hit. They’d already watched all the movies about Flash Gordon, Nat had even found the old radio dramas for Steve to listen to when they had to leave the hospital. This week’s mission: finally figure out the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars. They’d started with Star Wars. It was easier [“Only three movies,” explained Sam. “Three?” Natasha questioned. “Yes Natasha, three.”]

“So,” Natasha started as she kicked off her boots and sat in the chair next to Steve’s bed, “What are we showing America’s favorite fossil today.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Sam’s been talking nonstop about this one. The Empire Strikes Back. Says it’s his favorite?”

“That’s right! Best Star Wars movie there is. It’s got everything: danger, romance, surprise. Plus, you get to see three new planets and we get to see my favorite character: Yoda!”

“Really? Yoda?” Natasha smirked. “For some reason, I always saw you as a Han kind of guy.”

“I mean come on, everyone loves Han. But look at this little dude! He’s a total badass! Think about when the X-Wing starts...”

“Hey hey hey!” Steve interjected, chuckling. “Don’t give it all away! Save some surprises for the movie.”

Natasha smiled. It had been a long time since she’d had any time off, let alone any fun. The most fun she’d had in the past two years, if that’s what you could call it, was when she picked out Steve’s clothes for their trip to the mall. The glasses alone made her burst out laughing when they popped into her head. This though, to finally feel like she was connecting with someone in a way that didn’t involve world annihilation or mortal peril, was nice.

“Look, how about I get the popcorn started and you can get the movie all...”

Just as Nat got up, they heard a commotion in the hallway. Before anyone had time to react, Tony Stark burst through the door carrying a teddy bear in a Captain America suit, followed closely by a burly security guard carrying what looked like a whole field of sunflowers and a box of expensive looking chocolates.

Natasha smirked “Tony.”

“Afternoon Natasha. Afternoon Captain AARP. How’s your medicare coverage treating you? You got one of these yet? They sell ‘em all over the City.” He threw the bear onto Steve’s bed. Tony scrunched up his eyes and stared at the Captain “Your face seems different. Trying for that Picasso look?”

Steve smiled, “Still look a hell of a lot better than you.”

Tony raised his eyebrow as he motioned for the guard to set the gifts down on the small table near Steve’s bed. “Let’s see here, which one of us just had his first kiss in 60 years? Because it sure as hell wasn’t me.”

Steve turned a bright red. Natasha rolled her eyes. Pepper was good at a lot of things, but keeping secrets from Tony was not one of them.

Sam interjected, “Now wait a minute! When were you gonna tell me about this.”

Tony looked startled as he finally noticed Sam in the corner of the room. “Oh you must be Hawkeye 2.0.”

“Falcon. And the name’s Sam Wilson.”

“Tony Stark. Pleasure.” Tony shook Sam’s hand and began to pace around the room, picking up and setting down objects at random. He never seemed to be able to stand still for long. He turned back to Sam, holding a baseball in his hand. “Gotta say, love the wings. Heard they took quite a beating in the Captain’s takedown of S.H.I.E.L.D. and half of the wildlife in the Potomac. I’d be more than happy to take a look at ‘em. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m pretty good with tech.”

“That’d be great! Thank you.”

“Yeah. Trust me, your new set will be much better. I’ve been tinkering with the design of my suit long enough, I’ve got some new tricks that’ll make your suit faster, stronger, and more powerful than ever. Comes with a sick paint job too. You like red?”

Sam chuckled, “Sure Iron..er… Mr. Stark. Red sounds like it’d be just fine.”

“Please, call me Tony. I’ll have Pepper send a courier to pick it up. Just say the word.”

He turned to Steve, “So Cap, whatcha been up to in here? Having a good time? Like the setup?”

“Well,” Steve said, “I’ve gotta say, It’s a little much. Nurse says I’ll only be here a couple more days.”

Tony started throwing the baseball up and down, “I’m telling you, this wouldn’t have been a problem if you had taken this show up to Stark Tower. Got a whole floor saved just for you. Comes with a great view of Manhattan too.”

“I like it fine right here, thanks.” Besides, Steve thought, How will Bucky find me if I move up to New York?

Tony smirked as he threw the baseball to Nat. “Fine! Offer still stands. Just say the word! Got plenty of space, even enough for you birdman.”

Sam crossed his arms and smirked. Guess this is the Stark arrogance Steve was talking about.

Tony adjusted his cufflinks, “Well, I’d better get going. Turns out a couple of senators want to have a little chat about the destruction of a major portion of their intelligence operation. Who knew?”

He walked over and put his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay, Steve. Really. Give me a call once you’re out and we’ll talk about what’s next. Can’t have a team without a captain!”

Steve smiled, “Thanks Tony, for everything.”

Tony smiled and shifted the sunflowers on the table so they faced Steve. “Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Empire is clearly the best Star Wars movie. You’re in for a treat.”

Natasha smiled, throwing the ball back to Tony. “Good of you to stop by Tony.”

Tony caught the ball and placed it back where he found it. “Oh, no trouble. Had to make sure our Captain didn’t throw a hip. You know that’s one hell of an injury for a man of his age.” Tony took his sunglasses out of his pocket and with it, a small flash drive.

“Oh, and Sam, catch!” Tony threw the drive to Sam. “Figured you’d need to start the good Captain on music next. Gotta pull him out of the big band era one of these days. It’ll give you access to all of my music files. Well, not all of them. Figured you’d have to work up to death metal. Let me know when you get to AC/DC. I’ll fly you out to Stark Tower and we can listen over drinks”

Sam turned the drive over in his hands. “Will do.”

And just like that Tony was gone. As always, the room felt like it had been hit with a hurricane of energy. Nat had to hand it to him, he sure knew how to control a room.

“He’s right you know,” Sam said, shaking the drive at Steve. “Only music you’ve got in your apartment is on vinyl, and it’s all at least 70 years old. Surprised the things even play at all.”

Steve smiled, “You can thank Coulson for that. The man saw to it personally that I had plenty of things I’d recognize in my apartment after I came to. Got all the records to make me feel at home. Even framed a few pictures they’d found in my old apartment in Brooklyn. Too bad he couldn’t bring the Dodgers back too...” He trailed off turning towards the window.

Nat and Sam looked at each other. She smiled, “Well boys, once we’re done with all these Star movies, I’d say we have a real project on our hands.”

Sam laughed, “You got any Russian favorites to play for us.”

“God no. Only thing they let us listen to was Rachmaninoff, ballet music and military marches. Not exactly the most fun music for grandpa over here.”

Steve smiled as he turned back to look at Sam and Nat. Finding Bucky was a job for tomorrow. “Sounds like a swell time.”

Sam looked at Nat. “Did he just say the word ‘swell’?”

“Yes he did.”

“Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Steve rolled his eyes “Alright alright. Are we gonna start this movie or what?”

“I’ll get the popcorn.” Nat smiled. Maybe this friendship thing wasn’t beyond her reach after all.


	2. A Dance Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't strictly speaking true that Steve had never learned how to dance...
> 
> First music on the list: starting right where Steve left off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frank Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1AHec7sfZ8
> 
> More from their 40s playlist to come...
> 
> I'm sure there are typos and for that I apologize. Special thanks to TyrianRex for taking a quick peek at this one before I posted it. :3

Chapter 2: A Dance Lesson

It wasn’t strictly speaking true that Steve had never learned how to dance. Bucky had tried to teach him more times than he could count. It wasn’t the easiest job. Despite their height difference, Bucky would always let Steve lead. He loved to dance, so switching roles was never a problem. Besides, Steve would need to know how to sweep a woman off her feet, so he had to learn, even though they both secretly wished they’d never have to dance with anyone else. 

Bucky would guide his hand to his waist, teaching him exactly where it should go on the lower back. Not too high or too low: that was a recipe for disaster or, at the very least, a smack in the face. “Trust me. Nothin’ hurts more than a slap in the face in the middle of the dance floor” Bucky said as he instinctively moved his hand to his cheek. 

They’d awkwardly sway to the music playing on the creaky gramophone Steve had borrowed from his next door neighbor. Steve’s mother couldn’t afford that sort of thing, not in those days. Although nurses were always needed, her meager pay wasn’t enough to afford any luxuries. Steve’s neighbor, an old vaudeville dancer, never minded when the boys would borrow the old thing. They always took care of it, and they’d help her with the chores around the house in return. It made her smile to watch Bucky put a glass away on the top shelf when Steve couldn’t reach. It was a good deal for everyone involved.

Steve tried desperately to avoid stepping on Bucky’s feet. It made his steps stilted and off-beat. Bucky would always insist it wasn’t a problem; listening to the rhythm was much more important than a 90 pound asthmatic stepping on his toes. Steve would usually want to stop after the first song, but Bucky never gave up on him, always insisting they give it another shot. By the end of the afternoon, Steve would be imitating his mother’s charleston and Bucky would be laughing as his best friend flailed his skinny arms around the kitchen.

 

So when Nat first put the record on the turntable, Steve’s heart skipped a beat. It was playing one of their songs. No, wait, it was newer than that, but it sounded like it could be theirs. The beat was mid-tempo and the horns felt like a distant memory coming back to life. As the voice came in, a tear came to his eye. It was Frank Sinatra. Bucky had latched onto Sinatra right before he enlisted. He loved the swing all his songs had. His music was so good, Bucky even forgive him for being from Jersey.

“You okay there grandpa?” Nat gazed into his eyes. Steve didn’t talk much about the past, especially not about anything before the war. She respected that. Even though everyone and their mother knew about her past, she didn’t like to talk about it either. She knew it was dangerous to play something Steve might recognize from back then, but Buddy Holly was too fast and so was Chuck Berry. Sinatra was just the right tempo, especially his stuff from after the war. Steve claimed he wanted her to play something slow, but she knew he would be too embarrassed to dance to anything slower and, as much as she loved seeing his face turn crimson, it wasn’t going to teach him anything. Besides, something too slow would probably remind him of all the dances he didn’t get with Peggy, and that would make him shut down faster than any music ever could.

Steve shook his head as if he was trying to shake the memory out of his ear. “I’m good, it’s just...what is this?”

Sam yelled from the kitchen. “Sinatra’s ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin.’ Classic.” He came out with a turkey sandwich in one hand and a glass of lemonade in the other. He flopped onto the couch. “I’d of made you one, but I think Nat’d kill me if I distracted you.”

Since Steve’s apartment had been compromised, he had moved in with Sam. Anything that could have remotely been considered evidence was taken by SHIELD immediately after Fury had been shot, so bye bye carpet.  Steve brought his records, clothes, and photographs to Sam’s, but put the rest in storage. Coulson spent so much time gathering the antique furniture from across the country while Steve was defrosting, it seemed a waste to leave it behind. Tony, of course, found the storage unit and promptly had all of Steve’s things moved in to Stark Tower. “Seems a waste for a recently unemployed elderly man to pay for both rent and storage space. Besides, maybe this’ll bring ya back to the City.” He sent pictures of the apartment nearly every day, but Steve was unmoved. He liked living with Sam. He liked going with him to the VA to meet the vets. He liked running around the mall before the sun came up, even if he did have to run a lot slower to match pace with Sam. Besides, since DC was the last place Bucky saw him, he was sure to turn up eventually. Moving meant getting further away from the trail which, no matter how cold, still started at the Potomac.

“Well if you’re done reliving the past, how ‘bout you get up off your geriatric ass and dance with me.” Nat offered him a hand.

Steve smirked as he took her hand, “You said you’d play somethin’ slow.”

Nat raised an eyebrow, “Steve, if you’re worried about stepping on my toes don’t. I’ve been dodging clumsy soldiers for over a decade and I’ve been dancing since I was three. Trust me, you’ll be fine.”

Natasha led Steve to the center of the room and gently placed his left hand on her waist. Without saying anything, she slowly began to sway to the beat. His palms began to sweat as he struggled to avoid her feet. 

Nat smiled, “Now, lots of the skills that you’d use when you’re, say, sparring with a partner are the same skills that you use on the dancefloor.”

Steve rolled his eyes, “Oh come on Nat.”

“I’m serious. Why do you think I started so early?”

“Fair point.”

“As I was saying, dancing and sparring have a lot in common. The key is to get in tune with your partner and learn their moves right?”

“Right.”

“Except in dancing, you move with them, whereas in battle you use their moves against them. Yes?”

“Yes.”

“So how about you stop looking at your feet and start paying attention to what is actually happening in front of you.”

Sam snickered from the couch. “She has a point you know. You’re giving so much focus to your feet that the rest of you doesn’t know what to do.”

He stood up and re-adjusted Steve’s shoulders, putting them in line with Nat’s. “Feet are important, but if you pay attention to what’s in front of you, your feet will follow.” 

Steve raised an eyebrow, “When did you become an expert in dancing.”

“Family had a lot of weddings growing up,” Sam said, “My Nana gave me a dance lesson before every single one.” He furrowed his brow and hunched his shoulders “Got to teach you boys how to treat a lady right,” he said, gesturing with the sandwich in his hand. 

They all laughed as the record started the next track. It was much slower, not great for dancing. Natasha broke free of Steve’s embrace and went to change it to something a bit quicker. Steve wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. 

Nat found a new record and put it on the turntable. He knew the tune, but couldn’t remember the name. Before he could find it in the dark recesses of his mind, Nat came back and took his hand. 

“Ready for another dance soldier?”

Steve smiled, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

He placed his hand on Nat’s lower back. They swayed to the beat as Sam finished his lunch.

When the song ended, Sam piped up from the couch, “Hey Steve.”

“Yeah?”

“For a guy who’s never danced, you’re doin pretty good.”

He smiled, “Helps that I’ve got a beautiful dame to teach me”

Natasha raised her eyebrow “Excuse me?”

Sam chuckled, “Oh man you did not just call her ‘dame’.”

Steve’s face turned beet red. “I...well...I mean…”

Slowly, a smile started to spread across Nat’s face. Pretty soon, she was doubled up with laughter. Sam was laughing too. “Oh man, I can’t believe you just did that. Wait till the guys at the VA hear about this.”

If it was possible for Steve to get any redder, he would have. “Aww come on.”

Natasha stood upright, wiping a tear from her eye. “Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Just you wait. You still haven’t heard my southern accent. Fifteen years and I  _ still _ haven’t got it down.”

“And you still haven’t heard all my awful impressions. I’ve gotta say, I do a  _ killer _ Danny DeVito.”

Nat shook her head “You did it in the hospital. It was  _ awful. _ ”

Steve laughed. It felt good to know he could be himself around at least two people in this crazy world.

Suddenly, he had an idea. “Say, any of you kids ever seen anyone do the charleston?”

**********

The man in the blue baseball cap stopped on the sidewalk outside the apartment and gazed into the window. The man...Steve...was wildly flapping his arms as the other man and the red haired woman laughed hysterically.  _ Why does this look so familiar… _ He furrowed his brow and stared until suddenly he remembered.

He turned from the window to unclip the chest strap of his black backpack. He took it off, being careful to slide it gently over his left shoulder. The sleeve of his jacket covered the arm, but he couldn’t risk damaging the strap all the same. He opened the bag, revealing a pair of dirty tube socks, a small soldering kit, a swiss army knife, and six notebooks. The notebooks. They were everything he had now. The memories came in fits and starts. The exhibit had helped - it told him where to begin. Still, he had just started to remember anything significant. Anything to tell him who he really was. The spines on five of the books hadn’t even been cracked open.

Quickly, the man grabbed the cheap Bic pen from his breast pocket and wrote a word. It wasn’t much, but it was a beginning. 

_ Dancing _ . 

He gingerly placed the notebook back into the bag and slung it back over his right shoulder. Suddenly, it all came back to him. He remembered a kitchen. A creaky gramophone. The sound the needle made as it circled the center of the record. Steve gasping for air on the floor, wheezing and trying desperately to catch his breath as he continued to laugh. Rubbing Steve’s back, making sure he was okay before laughing so hard his side hurt. He remembered.

His eyes glistened as he turned back to the apartment. He wanted nothing more than to leap up the stairs, knock on the door, and ask Steve to tell him who he really was. 

He turned away, pulling the brim of his blue baseball cap down over his eyes, and continued walking down the street.  _ Not today. _


End file.
